Edward and Bella's Wedding
by TheDanceofLife
Summary: This is my vision for Bella and Edward's wedding and a bit of a story afterwards...hope you guys enjoy it! I had a great time writing this one! Please review; I love hearing your thoughts...
1. The Big Day

_You can do this_. Over the past hour I had lost count of how many times I had repeated this sentence to myself. Today was the beginning of the rest of my life; as everyone I encountered kept reminding me with their sentiments of "Congratulations on your big day". I sighed and tried to keep the horror of what I was doing out of my expression as I looked in the mirror.

I didn't look like myself; Alice had made sure of that. The slight purple under my eyes that had become normal for me in the weeks leading up to today (I couldn't bring myself to say the word) were now covered up with high-quality concealer and foundation. My hair was slicked back to perfection, held in an uncharacteristically elegant twist by several crystal pins and who knows how much hairspray.

"I do believe I outdid even Rosalie's last wedding this time," Alice whispered to herself. I felt myself gag at the implications Alice's words might have if Rosalie had heard them. A knock on the door reminded me Rosalie was the least of my worries at the moment.

Esme entered the small dressing room looking resplendent in a dress of lavender silk. "Bella! You look absolutely stunning; I don't know how Edward will be able to control himself." She smiled warmly down at me before turning to Alice. "It's almost time now: Charlie is waiting for her outside." Alice nodded gleefully and turned to gather the train of my dress.

"Come on Bella! It's time to go!" She giggled in her normal bubbly manner and ushered me out the door, handing me a bouquet of white roses on the way. I felt my knees begin to weaken as I saw Charlie in his designer gray suit, standing at the beginning of the long pathway towards the altar. _You can do this_, I told myself again.

Charlie beamed as he took my left arm into the crook of his elbow. "Are you ready?" he asked. I could only nod helplessly.

I was dimly aware of the string quartet beginning to play as I started the horrific journey down the aisle of rose petals. I tried not to see the faces of my friends and few family members that had come to witness the event, but I was unsuccessful. Everyone I had ever known, and then the rest of the town of Forks, seemed to be there. My school friends Jessica and Angela, Mike and Ben, their parents and my other classmates, even Billy had come to wish me well, though to my sorrow he wasn't smiling. In comparison to little Seth Clearwater, who was not so little anymore, he looked like the living dead. Seth's face was lit in a beaming smile that dominated his face from ear to ear. Seeing him there, happy for me, made me smile for the first time that day. I kept walking with my father tugging on my arm, and nearly burst into tears when I saw the other faces of the people I loved most; Renee and my soon to be in-laws standing in the front rows.

Finally I was free of the staring eyes and I at last permitted myself to glance to the altar. Edward stood there, the happiest I had ever seen him, radiating an aura of bliss that filled me to the brim. The sight of him, in utterly perfect splendor, erased all anxiety from me.

Charlie turned to me then, the tears in his eyes framed by the beginnings of crows' feet. "I love you Bells," he whispered as he kissed my cheek.

"I love you too dad," I whispered back.

I turned to hand my bouquet to Alice, when I could have sworn I saw a flash of russet fur flash past a brief interruption in the silk canopy surrounding the guests. I blinked and the sight was gone. Alice smiled at me in encouragement, and I turned back to face Edward.

Carlisle, who happened to be performing the ceremony, began with the traditional words, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the the joining of Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen in the event of matrimony…" My mind trailed off, for I became lost in Edward's gaze. He was re-memorizing my face, as if we had been separated for a long time. His golden eyes smoldered as he gazed at me, a crooked smile playing at the corners of his lips.

I subconsciously heard Carlisle announce that Edward had written his personal vows, when Edward's velvet voice rang in my ears. "Bella, I love you. You are the only one I have ever loved, and it will always be that way, for all my existence and beyond. My love for you is unconditional, and death is only the beginning of where I would willingly go for you if you wished it. I am yours now, always, and forever…"

At these last words Edward slowly slid his mother's ring onto my finger. I saw Carlisle turn to me and knew it was my turn. I felt the words tumble from my lips, the words that would bind me to him, though I had already been his since I had seen him. I slid his wedding band onto his finger and I murmured, "…now, always, and forever."


	2. Wedding Night

The door thumped gently against the wall as Edward deftly opened it with one hand. The other arm, to my distaste, was occupied carrying me over the threshold of our hotel room.

"It's over now, you can relax," whispered Edward. I nodded silently as he set me on my feet. His sculpted lips pulled into my favorite crooked smile as he watched my posture visibly change. I smiled back and painstakingly removed the satin high-heels Alice had forced me into.

Though I had tried to be as charming a hostess as I could during the ceremony and reception, I couldn't deceive Edward. I sighed as I sat on the bed, the toile of my dress crumpling beneath the pressure. Edward sat down next to me, cradling me into his arms. He kissed the top of my forehead, sending my heart fluttering and a shiver down my spine.

Edward chuckled; he was blissfully happy. "Even after all this time, you're still not used to me." He frowned as if deep in thought, "I will definitely have to change that." He smiled an impish grin that sent my heart into spasms of anticipation.

He laid back on the ample supply of pillows; taking me with him. I lay with my back pressed against him as his lips began to trace the familiar path of my jaw. I inhaled deeply at the scent of him so close. No, I could never get used to _that._ I wrapped my arms around him as he began kissing my neck. I tried to stay calm; I wanted this to be perfect, but I couldn't stop myself. My pulse raced and my breathing quickened.

As if Edward sensed my urgency (which he no doubt could from the stunts my heart was performing) he began tracing the veins in my neck as his lips moved to mine. My hands intertwined into his hair as they had the first time we kissed, and I pressed his face to mine. The perfect feel of his icy touch was too much for me. I dropped my hands to the buttons of his tuxedo jacket, clumsily unfastening them. I was still half surprised when Edward didn't resist. I knew I had fulfilled his conditions, but the reality of what we were doing hadn't sunk in yet. It was exactly as I had pictured, in my happy place with Edward, but this was real, much better than my imagination.

I gasped for air when Edward didn't stop, and his hands moved down my shoulders. I shivered as his hands made their way down the exposed median of my back. Without pause he effortlessly unfastened the single zipper of my dress. I had managed to remove his coat, but I was struggling with the smaller buttons of his shirt. Edward chuckled again and undid them himself before I even had a chance to blink. Suddenly my bare skin was pressed against his, and I became lost as I melted into him.


	3. Location, location, location

_Well this is different_. I had awoken to silence for the first time since I had come to live in Forks. It seemed I had grown accustomed to the rain, and now it was silence that roused me from sleep. I groaned as the events from last night took their toll on me. Edward was at my side in an instant.

"Good morning my love." His lips brushed across my ear lobe at his teasing words. I could tell that he was smiling. In spite of myself I smiled too.

"Your control is better than you thought; last night was _perfect_. You seemed human enough to me…" I raised one eyebrow as my meaning struck a chord.

"What I _seemed_ is entirely different than what I _was_; which was in control of my emotions." Edward raised his own eyebrow as he laid gently back on the bed next to me. "Although, I must admit there were a couple times when I, well, slipped a little." He paused and suddenly frowned. "You have a terribly dangerous aptitude for bringing my human emotions out against my will, Bella."

"Is that such a bad thing? After all, we soon won't have to worry about staying in control," I reminded him when he continued to frown.

"I suppose you're right." Edward's expression lifted suddenly. "So, my _wife_, what do you want to do today?"

His emphasis on the word_ wife_ triggered my sudden realization. Edward was my _husband_, and after yesterday, that word no longer scared me; I was elated to give him that title.

"I don't know…surprise me," I whispered playfully.

From the expression on his face, I knew my husband already had the perfect thing in mind…

I relished the feel of the wind, sharp and crisp, against my face. Edward was running, with me seated comfortably on his back. I watched the scenery fly past in a blur, trying to gouge our destination. I failed miserably.

Edward still refused to tell me where we were; he wouldn't even tell me what continent we happened to be on, but it didn't matter. I could be living in a dirty tent in the middle of a dessert and not care as long as he was there too.

"Can I at least have a hint?"

Edward grinned over his shoulder at me and wordlessly reached his arm out to what looked like hedges that surrounded us. I heard a faint snap as something was ripped away from one. He handed his prize back to me.

"Does this answer your question?"

I held in my hand a small bunch of perfect, red grapes. At first, I simply stared at the fruit in confusion, then it hit me. I realized the green shapes flying past us weren't hedges, they were grape vines…grape vines in a vineyard.

We had been running for a fair length of time, and the green walls on either side had not ceased. So I gouged that a vineyard of this size would have to be somewhere in the famous wine country of…Italy.

I gasped as I figured it out. Italy. Why were we in Italy of all places? The Volturi were already keeping tabs on us and Edward had decided to take a week-and-a-half honeymoon right on their doorstep.

"Is something wrong?" Edward asked. He was turned to face me, but he never missed a step. The concern was evident in his eyes.

"Yes, something is very wrong…we're in the middle of Italy!" I tried to keep my voice from sounding angry; instead it made me sound as if I was in hysterics.

"And this is bad because….?"

"The _Volutri_! Have you forgotten them already? I'm not a _vampire_ yet, and that means they're still _checking up on me_…"

Edward gave a lighthearted laugh as he turned away from me. He seemed too unconcerned in this situation for my nerves to go back to normal.

"Bella, dear, do you really believe that I would take you somewhere that I did not think was safe?"

"Well, no but I – "

"—And do you really think that I would let them harm you even if they knew we were here?"

"Nooo, but you couldn't—" He pressed a finger to my lips; immediately silencing me. I realized we had stopped, and his next words calmed me.

"Bella, you are safe with me," he whispered, "and that is all that matters."

He bent forward slowly, and the finger that had been on my lips was now replaced with his icy kiss. In that kiss I forgot what I had been afraid of before, but the feeling was over all too quickly when we parted, and I saw what was ahead of us.

A small cliff of tightly-packed boulders and loosely-packed pebbles loomed before us. The entire thing spelled disaster, and disaster tended to have my name on it.

"Don't tell me," I began, "we're going to climb that, aren't we…"

Edward chuckled, and smiled my favorite crooked smile.

"Well,_ I_ am going to climb it, and you are going to stay right where you are."

I relaxed as he said this. No accidents would befall me today, no vampires were going to kill me at the moment, and we were alone, together. But on the contrary, neither of us were taking any chances.


End file.
